Eagle Mountain Lake is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...

, formed by the damming the West Fork of the Trinity River. The reservoir sits below

Lake Bridgeport Lake Bridgeport is a city in Wise County, Texas, United States. The population was 339 in 2020. Geography Lake Bridgeport is located at (33.207240, –97.830997). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5& ...

reservoir and above Lake Worth reservoir.

History

The Texas State Board of Water Engineers granted a permit for constructing the dam that would form Eagle Mountain Lake on May 1, 1928. Construction of the dam that formed the reservoir began on January 23, 1930 and was completed on October 24, 1932. Water impoundment began on February 28, 1934. During World War II, the lake's eastern shore was the site of

Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake (MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II. Commissioned on December 1, 1942, the air station was ori ...

, a military installation built to house the military's glider program. In 1965, the

Tarrant Regional Water District The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) is a water district in Texas. It provides raw water for over 2.1 million people, implements vital flood control measures and creates recreational opportunities for the residents of 11 North Texas Counties. ...

voters approved a bond issue to allow the District to install improved controlled spillways. The new spillway was completed July 31, 1971.

Tornado

On May 24, 2011, an EF0 tornado formed over Eagle Mountain Lake, causing damage along west of Boat Club Road downing some trees and damaging mobile homes.

Recreation

Eagle Mountain Lake is used for boating, fishing and water sports such as

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

wake boarding Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboardin ...

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

, and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

. The reservoir area also has picnic areas, walking trails, campgrounds, and restaurants.

References

Volumetric Survey of Eagle Mountain LakeTexas State Historical Association - Eagle Mountain ReservoirTexas Water Development Board - Eagle Mountain Dam and Lake

External links

Eagle Mountain Lake
* Reservoirs in Texas Trinity River (Texas) Bodies of water of Tarrant County, Texas Bodies of water of Wise County, Texas Protected areas of Tarrant County, Texas Protected areas of Wise County, Texas {{WiseCountyTX-geo-stub

History

Tornado

Recreation

See also

References

External links